NIH issues consensus statement on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a key role in the regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission and is also the major site of action for methylphenidate which is one of the main drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Most association studies with ADHD have concentrated on the 3'-untranslated region of the gene (3'-UTR) mainly in a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism, but these investigations have reported discordant results. In this study, we tested this VNTR polymorphism and an additional promoter polymorphism -839 C>T (Rs: 2652511) using family-based association analyses in a sample of 243 Brazilian ADHD children and adolescents and their parents. No significant linkage disequilibrium between the two polymorphisms was detected in this sample (D' = 0.56; P = 0.22). No evidence of association with the VNTR polymorphism was found. A significant association (P = 0.03) for biased transmission of the C allele at the -839 C>T polymorphism to ADHD children in the total sample was observed, which was strengthened when the analyses were restricted to the ADHD combined type (P = 0.004). Our results suggest a role for the promoter region of DAT1 gene in ADHD susceptibility in this Brazilian sample.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2007

No evidence for preferential transmission of common valine allele of the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) in ADHD.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable common neurodevelopmental disorder with onset in childhood. A coding SNP (rs6265, Val66Met) of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) has recently been associated with ADHD. More specifically, paternal over-transmission of the common Val66 allele to affected children had been observed. We aimed to confirm these findings in a large, sufficiently powered, and well characterized German ADHD family sample. The Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF was genotyped in 294 families comprising one or more affected sibs (468 children). Contrary to previous reports, we did not observe over-transmission of the common Val66 allele, from either parent to affected children. We did not find support for an involvement of the Val66 allele of the Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF in the pathogenesis of ADHD in our sample.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2007

A study of how socioeconomic status moderates the relationship between SNPs encompassing BDNF and ADHD symptom counts in ADHD families.

Recent animal research suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), may mediate response to different environmental stimuli. In this paper, we evaluated the possible role of BDNF as a moderator of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the context of different socioeconomic classes. We genotyped ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in and around BDNF in 229 families and evaluate whether there are SNP-by-socioeconomic status (SES) interactions for attention deficit hyperactivity. We developed three quantitative phenotypes for ADHD from nine inattentive and nine hyperactive-impulsive symptoms that were used in SNP-by-SES interaction analyses using a new methodology implemented in the computer program PBAT. Findings were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate. We found multiple significant SNP-by-SES interactions using the inattentive symptom count. This study suggests that different SES classes may modify the effect of the functional variant(s) in and around BDNF to have an impact on the number of ADHD symptom counts that are observed. The two exons within BDNF represent potential functional variants that may be causing the observed associations.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗